


Bonds Forged in Fire And Grief

by Telaryn



Series: Second Chances [7]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Leverage, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alien Biology, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Backstory, Crossover, Emotional Baggage, Gen, Gunshot Wounds, Headcanon, M/M, Post-Episode: s01e14 T.A.H.I.T.I.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-19 03:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2372630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telaryn/pseuds/Telaryn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Faith sees the other side of life with a family member in a dangerous profession when Skye is shot by Ian Quinn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bonds Forged in Fire And Grief

_”Skye’s been shot. You need to come right away.”_

“This is what it’s like for you, isn’t it?” Faith asked the man sitting across from her. Her legs were loosely crossed and her foot was beating a nervous tattoo against the air inside the quinjet. “When I end up in the hospital?”

Nathan Ford allowed himself a small shrug. “Helpless, painful twisting in your gut? Nerves firing uncontrollably?” he asked. Off Faith’s nod he said, “That would be it. Of course you’re handling it better than I tend to. By this point I would be drunk, throwing things, and making enemies of all the doctors.”

His daughter looked towards the front of the jet, where her friend Clint Barton was piloting them to their destination – a SHIELD base in Bethesda, Maryland. “Wait until I have doctors to yell at,” she muttered, her tone dark.

Exhaling softly, Nate took advantage of her distraction to study Faith more closely. Ever since they’d discovered the existence of her cousin, Faith had been on an emotional roller coaster. Nate suspected that she liked Skye well enough, but anything that had the possibility of promoting an emotional connection to her past was going to be outside her ability to process easily.

Nate remembered Faith’s aunt well enough. Stella Maguire had been a child of ten when Faith was born, and she’d already learned that no matter what she did or did not do she was destined to never burn brighter than her angst-ridden older sister. Nate wasn’t entirely sure when the sisters’ parents had passed on, but Stella would have been old enough for people to expect her to support herself and young enough that she likely would have done a piss-poor job of it. It wasn’t that great a leap to assume that she’d born a child and lost it during that time.

 _And Skye has powers too…_ Nothing they’d been able to pinpoint, although Faith had begun making a few discreet inquiries. Nate was fascinated by the implication that magic ran that strongly in a poor Irish family from South Boston. He would have dug further into the situation, but it was obvious Faith needed time to become more comfortable with things before they could get the kind of answers he was interested in.

“Just heard from Coulson,” Clint called over his shoulder. “He wants us to change course.”

Her restraints were the only thing that kept Faith in her seat. “Is Skye..?” she asked – fear evident in her expression.

“She’s still alive,” Clint assured her. “Something’s changed about her course of treatment, though. Coulson swears he’ll give us details when we rendezvous.”

“How long?” Nate asked, not daring to take his eyes off his daughter. If Faith got upset enough to lose control in these surroundings it would end badly for all of them.

“Not long,” the archer assured him. “In fact, we might actually beat them there.”

Silence fell briefly across the space. “You’re doing fine,” Nate said at last.

Faith looked up sharply, clearly startled by what he’d said. “Because I haven’t started throwing things yet?” she asked. Nate’s jaw tightened as he heard the small sob of emotion in her voice and wished there was some way he could safely cross the distance that separated them to sit beside her.

“Because you are as far outside your comfort zone as I’ve ever seen you and you’re not backing down,” he said, relying on his words to calm her instead. “I know what this is costing you, and I couldn’t be more proud.”  
*************************  
 _The Guest House?_ Clint felt the stirrings of real fear deep in his gut as he brought the quinjet in for a landing and scanned the area for Coulson’s ship. _What the hell does he expect to find here?_

He’d done a tour at the Guest House before being assigned to Coulson. It was the most secret of all the SHIELD bases – only those who knew the proper series of signs and countersigns could even get through the outer door. Security were never permitted to know what it was they were guarding – all Clint had ever been able to figure out was that this was where the ideas Fury thought too controversial to share were born and likely died.

“This isn’t a hospital, is it?”

Clint swallowed, hoping his startled flinch hadn’t been _too_ noticeable. On the surface Faith’s father was nice enough man, but ever since they’d met he’d given Clint a mild case of the creeps. “I don’t know what it is,” he admitted, seeing no reason Nate and Faith should be kept in the dark on what he knew. “Just being here is at the outer limit of my pay grade.”

“So why would Coulson bring Skye here?” Faith asked, coming up to stand by her father.

Clint turned to face them. “I couldn’t tell you,” he said. “Not won’t – can’t,” he added. “Coulson’s got to think there’s something here that could help her though, otherwise he wouldn’t risk it.” A low, growling rumble vibrated through the ship. “Hopefully he’ll be able to tell you something more,” Clint said, getting to his feet.

The blast of hot air that struck them as they headed down the ramp was bracing. Clint watched the Bus as it settled into place, admiring Melinda May’s piloting skills. When the ramp finally lowered, Clint motioned for Faith and Nate to follow him.

Coulson, Ward, Leo Fitz and somebody new met them at the bottom of the ramp. “Agent Barton,’ Coulson said crisply, “John Garrett.”

Clint’s eyes widened slightly as he took the proffered hand. “I’ve heard the stories, sir. Pleased to meet you.”

Garrett’s grin was wide and easy, bordering on the manic. “Me too,” he said. His grip was firm, almost challenging. “Pretty impressive, Coulson having an Avenger do his taxi work for him.”

The comment stung for reasons Clint couldn’t quite put his finger on. “Just helping out a friend,” he said, stepping back. Coulson’s attention ticked immediately to Faith.

“You can go on up. She’s in the medical bay just beyond the lab where Simmons did your DNA test.”

“You’re not transferring her here?” Nate asked.

“This is Faith’s father,” Clint interjected before Coulson could ask the question. “Nate Ford.”

Coulson nodded slightly. “We’re looking for something that will cure her,” he said. “Clint, you’re with me. Mr. Ford, Faith, if you would wait in the Bus?”  
*****************************************  
Faith knew Nate was expecting her to argue, insist on tagging along with Clint and Coulson for whatever they were intending to retrieve. And if she was being totally honest with herself, there was a part of her that wanted to go. She’d always been better with acting than waiting; that was no secret, especially not between her and her father.

This time though – the urge to be with her cousin, to offer what emotional support she could – overrode everything else. _”I figured real early that I couldn’t count on anyone but myself. I got used to being on my own.”_ While Faith could respect and empathize with the sentiment, life had taught her that it didn’t always have to be like that.

She wanted to give that to Skye.

“Don’t touch Lola,” she warned automatically, seeing her father’s eyes light on Coulson’s classic red convertible as they walked up the lamp. He made a soft, amused noise, but kept his hands to himself.

Agent May and Agent Simmons were waiting for them at the top of the ramp, along with a handsome agent she didn’t recognize. “Antoine Tripplett,” May said, recognizing Faith’s look. “Faith Lehane, and…” Her voice trailed off.

“Nathan Ford,” Nate said, nodding at the assembled group. “I’m Faith’s father.”

“How is she?” Faith asked, looking to Simmons for the answer she needed. There was absolutely no hope in the young agent’s eyes.

“You need to go see her,” Simmons said.

Faith glanced back at Nate, who nodded. “You go. You need to spend some time with her.”

Feeling a cold, hard knot of dread drop into the pit of her stomach, Faith followed Simmons through the lab. “We initially placed her in a hyper-baric chamber to stabilize her. SHIELD doctors operated on her, but the damage is too extensive.”

Startled by the way Simmons had phrased her update, Faith grabbed the young doctor’s shoulder and pulled her to a stop. “The SHIELD doctors gave up? What are we doing here then? What is Coulson looking for?”

Skye had told her that Simmons wasn’t much of a liar, and looking into the young woman’s eyes now Faith believed her cousin. _Whatever Coulson’s planning, she doesn’t agree with it at all._ “Agent Coulson is looking for something he thinks can save Skye,” Simmons said finally. “Please don’t ask me anything else – we’re in very unchartered territory right now.”

Faith rolled the request over in her mind and decided she could live with the restriction. “Is there anything I can do?” she asked, once they had resumed walking. “I know you didn’t check my blood when we did the DNA test, but if you think it could help?” Thoughts of her healing factor were uppermost in her mind – she didn’t know enough about how it worked to think that a blood transfusion might do anything, but then again she wasn’t as smart about these things as Jemma Simmons.

“Is it true that Slayers can heal themselves?”

Faith’s heart skipped a beat hearing that Simmons had apparently been thinking along similar lines. “We can,” she said. “It takes longer for really bad injuries and sometimes we need surgery to get stuff that’s been cut or broken back together, but I was thrown off a roof once with a knife wound in my gut and…” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged.

“I would like to take a vial if I could,” Simmons said. “Not just for the research value, but if there’s something in your DNA we can tap and replicate it might be the break we need.”

“Whatever you need,” Faith said. She moved past the young woman as the medical pod came into view. She put a hand up on the glass. “I can’t let her die.”

Simmons opened the door. “We all feel the same way.”

 _No you don’t,_ Faith thought, but she managed to keep the uncharitable thought to herself as she entered the small space and took the empty chair by Skye’s bed. Her cousin was unconscious, her features pale and drawn with that particular cast she knew skin got when too much blood had been lost. “What the hell are you doing going up against guys with guns?” she murmured, reaching out to cover one of Skye’s hands with her own. The skin was cold and soft – slightly swollen with the IV fluid keeping Skye’s organs functioning.

“You’re the brains – I’m the muscle,” she went on, leaning her chin on the bed rail. “I thought we had this all worked out!”  
******************************  
Nate looked up as the young doctor charged with Skye’s care came hurrying back into the main chamber of the lab. “Faith agreed to let me draw some of her blood,” she said as she hurried past them.

“You’re hoping you can genetically isolate her healing factor?” Nate asked. They were used to thinking of Faith’s Slayer powers as magic, but Nate subscribed to the theory that magic was science the human race wasn’t advanced enough to understand yet. And if the healing factor was something that could be transferred between a Slayer and ordinary human beings.

Simmons nodded distractedly. Nate turned his attention back to “Tripp” and “May”, the two agents who had been casually interrogating him. “Accelerated healing is part of the whole Slayer package, along with increased strength, agility and knack for martial skills.”

Agent May definitely looked interested. “Is there a chance her blood might be able to save Skye?”

Nate shrugged, wishing he could give them some measure of hope. They all clearly cared for the girl – it would have felt good being able to tell them that a vial of Faith’s blood would be the miracle they were searching for. Especially since Faith had already offered without reservation or certain knowledge that it could help. “All the healing factors we’ve ever run into have come from a magical source.”

Tripp – a handsome young man – laughed softly. “Gotta admit – kind of weirded out that you’re talking about things like healing factors in the plural.”

“There are theories that magic is just science we don’t understand,” Agent May said, echoing Nate’s own thoughts. “Captain America has a healing factor, after all – part of the original Super Soldier serum.”

Dr. Simmons disappeared back into the hospital bay. Nate watched her go, hoping that Faith was holding herself together. “It’s been good for Skye, finding her family,” May said, jostling Nate from his musings. “She’s been a lot steadier since connecting with you and Faith.”

Nate smiled. “Faith won’t believe you. She’s been very nervous about this whole business.” Off Agent May’s raised eyebrow he went on. “My daughter had a very difficult childhood. I own my part in it, but it’s left her with some very deep scars and a lot of doubt in her own self-worth.”

“She’s like some kind of superhero though,” Tripp said. “That says a lot about who she is.”

“I would agree with you. I’m also very lucky that she and I’ve been able to build a relationship after everything that happened. Unfortunately even with time and all the love I can give some wounds take a long time to…”

He broke off at Simmons’ strangled cry for help.  
******************************  
“Go.” It was an order and Clint’s hind-brain recognized it as such, but he couldn’t make his feet move.

“Not without you,” he said, meeting his lover’s eyes squarely. Behind him he sensed Fitz hesitating. “Agent Fitz, you have your orders,” he snapped, not turning to look at the young agent. “Get that vial top side.”

“You have your orders too, _Agent_ Barton,” Coulson said as Clint heard Fitz heading for the exit. A beat later, his expression softened. “Clint, he can’t make it on his own. That serum has to get to Skye in time. _Please._ ”

“Garrett and Ward will help him,” Clint countered, but God help him he could feel himself wavering. Phil Coulson was a persuasive son of a bitch when he had to be, and he knew exactly where and how Clint was vulnerable. “You’re coming with me, _Sir_ ,” he said, “or I’m staying with you. Your call.” Silently he pleaded with Coulson, _Don’t make me choose. Please don’t make me leave you behind._

“I don’t trust them,” Coulson said. “Not like I trust you. Clint please – _this is where it happened._ I can’t just leave, not without looking into it further.”

“Great,” Clint said, spreading his hands in invitation even as he felt the muscles along his jawline tighten. “Let’s go.”

The distance separating them suddenly struck Clint as being insurmountable. Coulson’s voice was full of emotion as he said, “Please don’t make me beg, Clint. This is Skye’s only chance – I need you with Fitz to make sure she gets it.”

“I can’t lose you.” The words escaped before Clint had fully committed to saying them, but Coulson’s expression immediately softened.

“No chance. I finally have the life I want – I’m not letting you go without one hell of a fight.” He ducked his head. “Go. I’ll be right behind you – I promise.” He drew a deep breath and met Clint’s gaze without flinching. “I swear.”

It still went against every instinct he had, but in the end Clint did as he was told.  
***************************************  
The moment the machines keeping Skye alive had started screaming their alerts Simmons had shoved the vial of blood she’d just collected into Faith’s hand and ushered the Slayer out of the hospital bay. “Tripp! May!”

Pure instinct had taken over as the two agents rushed to help their colleague – even though she hadn’t been able to think, Faith’s body carried her away from the chaos and directly into Nate’s embrace. “It’s okay,” her father whispered, hugging her to his chest. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“I don’t care,” Faith growled, pressing her forehead against Nate’s chest and struggling to breathe. “I don’t. I don’t, I don’t, I don’t, I don’t.”

“Shh,” Nate soothed, stroking her hair. “It’s okay to care. It’s not a weakness. Skye’s going to be all right. Dr. Simmons will make sure of it.”

She’d never been one for prolonged physical contact, but the longer she spent with her family and what passed for normal within their ranks, the more Faith had come to appreciate that things like hugs could actually make things better. More than that, they didn’t inevitably lead to tears and pain.

Fumbling the vial of her blood onto the nearest horizontal surface, Faith willed herself to relax into her father’s embrace. This was what family was, at its heart – having people to lean on when it hurt too much to stand by yourself. Nate wanted to be this for her, and for once Faith was able to let herself be openly grateful for that.

She had no idea how much time had passed as she tried to block out the sounds coming from the bay behind her, but just as she was about to turn and force her way back to her cousin’s bedside Agent Fitz burst into the lab, followed closely by Clint.

“We got it!”  
******************************  
Raw instinct slowed Clint’s forward momentum as they entered the lab; he turned just in time to catch Faith as she was pulling away from her father’s embrace – clearly intending to follow Fitz into the hospital bay. “Oh no…no, no, no.” Behind him he could hear the commotion that said more clearly than any briefing that things were not going well for the young agent. “Stay here, Faith. You’re only going to be in the way.”

Her father moved in behind her, gripping her shoulder. “Listen to him, Faith. I know it’s hard, but all we can do right now is wait.”

Their eyes met, and something deep inside Clint cringed from the ferocity shining in his friend’s dark eyes. “You found it? Tell me you found it.” Her hands gripped his arms and he felt hints of her supernatural strength. “Tell me!”

“Fitz has it,” he said, willing her as much calm as either of them could manage with no sign the others had been anywhere reasonably behind him. “Coulson’s sure it’s the same drug that brought him back to life, so if anything can save Skye…” He broke off as Faith collapsed into his arms, shaking and crying.

Stunned, he looked across Faith’s buried head at her father. Nate shrugged helplessly. “We don’t do hospitals well.” He paused. “Is this really going to work?”

Clint was searching for the best way to answer him, when he heard a fresh commotion in the landing bay. Faith immediately pulled free and she and Nate turned automatically towards the noise. _Coulson,_ Clint thought, catching a glimpse of the older man through the glass He was running towards them, Garrett and Ward behind him, and even with all the obstacles separating them Clint could see his lover was clearly terrified of something. _What now..?_

He started to move to intercept, but Coulson skirted him – his focus on the hospital bay. “Stop!” he called. “Don’t give it to her!”

 _Ah hell,_ Clint thought, turning on his heel to follow the crowd into the tiny room. Nate and Faith were close behind him. Clint grabbed instinctively for Faith’s arm as she shouldered past him because the scene in front of them was straight out of a horror movie. Skye was having a massive seizure, her body jerking and convulsing against the tubes and lines holding her in place. Simmons had an empty syringe in her hand.

“I was losing her anyway,” she said to Coulson, who looked to Clint as though his world was coming unraveled.

Clint was trying to figure out what his next move needed to be, when the noise of the monitors suddenly stopped. “Look!” Nate said sharply, pointing to Skye. The young agent had stopped seizing, and was now resting easily against her pillows. Clint saw Faith’s hand curl around the bedrail, the skin across her knuckles going dead white.

Coulson made a small noise that sounded to Clint like a sob, but before he could confirm what he’d heard Simmons said breathlessly, “She’s going to be okay.”  
*****************************************  
Coulson couldn’t breathe. He was shaking, and his heart was hammering painfully in his chest; the news that Skye was going to live brought him no relief at all. _What have I done?_

Somebody jostled him and he panicked – bolting for the door and slipping free of Clint’s reaching hand. Memory of the alien corpse he’d found deep in the Guest House chased him all the way up to his office. _You knew if push came to shove Fury would make a call you might not agree with. Skye never agreed to this – never agreed to let you play God with her life._

And yet the thought of losing her, of letting her die without doing everything in his power to try and save her, had been more than he could bear.

“What happened down there?”

Coulson flinched, but managed to recover before he turned to face Nathan Ford. “My office is private, Mr. Ford. You were not invited up here, and I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave.”

Rather than do as he was asked, Ford stepped closer, gripping the back of the chair in front of him. “You sent two agents up with a serum that was supposedly Skye’s last hope. Your people do what they think you want and inject her with it just as you come up screaming for them to abort. You found something down in that secret base Agent Coulson, and I want to know what it is.”

Coulson laughed. He couldn’t help it, and he tried not to think too closely about how bitter and broken it sounded. “You want? Mr. Ford, do you have any idea who you are talking to?” He clenched his fists against the wood of his desk as he leaned forward. “That serum – hell, everything about where we are and what you’ve seen – is so top secret that _I_ barely have the clearance to know about it. I’m certainly not going to share information with a man I met a few hours ago, and if you keep pushing me you will see exactly what I can do to someone like you.”

Silence stretched between them, and Coulson slowly began to realize that his words had had little to no effect on the man standing opposite him. “I know who you are and what you’re capable of,” Nate said coolly. “Thing is, Agent Coulson, when you take the time to run a proper background check on me, you’re going to find out I’m not a man who scares easily. I’m going to leave here today assuming that whatever you’re refusing to tell me is nothing that will in any way hinder Skye’s recovery. That would upset Faith, which is bad enough all on its own, but I tend to take it very personally when my daughter is upset – particularly about matters involving her family.”

As threatening monologues went, Coulson had to admit it was one of the better ones he’d been treated to over the years. “I don’t want to be your enemy Mr. Ford,” he said finally, “but I’m glad we understand each other.”  
**************************************  
“Can you stay?” Skye asked, in between bites of the food Simmons had finally authorized. Her color had improved dramatically and she was moving with only minimal signs of pain. The speed of her recovery had thoroughly freaked out everybody on the Bus; Faith was only bothered by her cousin’s condition insofar as she had to keep reminding herself that as far as they knew Skye wasn’t even a potential Slayer.

“Nate’s not exactly making friends, but Clint convinced Coulson to let us stay another couple of days.” She paused. “I want to find a week where I can come back and watch your training. If you’re determined to keep putting yourself against people with guns I want to make sure you’re getting the best training possible.”

“What happened wasn’t Ward’s fault,” Skye protested. “He’s the best. I’ve learned a lot working with him. Coulson’s also letting me work with Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff.”

Faith shrugged. “That’s cool, but you’re _my_ family. I want to see for myself what these people are teaching you.” Her protective instincts were unexpectedly strong now when it came to Skye, but Faith had made her peace with that. “We just found each other, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to lose you to somebody else’s carelessness.”

Skye studied her for a long moment – Faith half expected her to protest – but in the end she stabbed another piece of food, grinned and said, “Deal.”


End file.
